All I Want For Christmas
by talkswithherhands
Summary: LILEY! Fair warning Dont like? Dont read! Winter break is upon Seaview HS and Miley has just signed up for the talent competition, will she be able to sing her feelings to Lilly without revealing her secret? An XMAS oneshot, better late than never.


**Disclaimer:** I OWN NOTHING!!!!

**A/N:** Better late than never, here's my Christmas entry for Hannah Montana. LILEY WARNING!! Dont like? Dont read! Reviews make me happy! FEED THE BARD!

-x-x-x-

"_And do not forget the talent show this coming Friday at six o'clock, names and talents to be performed must be placed on Miss Hensley's desk by final bell this afternoon,_"came the announcement over the speakers. Miley, Lilly and Oliver had just barely heard the words from the Principal over their rowdy class, as it was the final week before winter break, classes were really nothing more than a hangout spot and teachers had long since given up trying to calm the students down to give them work and instead just assigned simple questions to answer before they left the class.

"Are you going to enter, guys?"Oliver asked.

"Not a snowballs chance in Hell,"Lilly quipped. "Last time I got on stage in front of our fellow classmates it was horrible, remember?"they all recalled when Lilly had gone upto perform a song on stage and Miley and Oliver had supported her despite her inability to carry a tune.

"What about you, Miley?"Oliver's voice snapped Miley from her reverie.

"Huh?"

"I asked if you were gonna join the talent show? I know I am, Smokin Oken the amazing Pear Juggler!"he deepened his voice and struck a pose. Lilly and Miley shared a small smirk.

"I dunno, I thought about it, but the only talents I have is singing and if I get on stage and sing I'm worried that my secret may come out, you know how many girls in this school adore Hannah?"she lowered her voice, although she doubt anyone would hear over the rambunctiousness of their sophomore AP English class.

"C'mon Miley, I doubt that anyone will notice, they'll probably even leave you alone, I know Amber and Ashley would stop picking on your accent if they knew how you could belt!"Lilly encouraged. Miley blushed and looked away with a small grin, her stomach flipped at the support of her best friend...

It had been nearly three years since Miley came to Malibu and no matter how hard she or her brother and Dad tried, they couldnt shake their thick Tennessee drawl. Lilly had once mentioned to Miley that she thought it was adorable and Miley could only laugh. Most of the other kids in their class would tease her but she didnt let it get to her too much, especially when Lilly didn't. Miley took a glance at Lilly who'd gotten into a small arguement over Oliver's taste in women and watched as her best friend sent retort after retort and grinned, Lilly was so beautiful when she was mad or trying to prove a point...

Miley knew she had been harboring a little more than friendly feelings toward her best friend for quite a while, when Lilly began dating that lying scumbag Lucas is what sealed the deal and made Miley realize that not only did she hate Lucas because he was lying and cheating on Lilly, but she also envied the fact that he was the one sharing Lilly's heart, when he broke it, she was both saddened for her friend and ecstatic that the relationship was over. She'd comforted Lilly and was shocked by her best friends independent nature to pull herself up by the bootstraps and carry on.

"Miley!"Lilly's voice snapped her out of her reverie. Miley's eyes widened as she realized the class was all gathering their things and leaving, Lilly and Oliver were standing before her, confused looks on both their faces.

"Are you alright, Miles?"Oliver asked. "You really musta been out of it if you didnt hear the lunch bell."

"Oh, sorry... I was.. thinking,"Miley felt her face go red as she gathered her things and stood. They left the class and headed for the lunch hall, Miley paused as she noticed the large poster outside their Vice Principal's office advertising the talent show.

"Miley?"Lilly asked, she gently touched Miley's shoulder and Miley had to fight the urge to shudder as a small tingle shot up her arm.

"Ya'll go on, I'll catch up,"she said. Oliver shrugged and took off for the cafeteria, not needing to be told twice, Lilly however, stared at Miley for a few moments with curious aquamarine eyes that made Miley want to drop her things, grab Lilly's face and kiss her until they both saw stars, but she held back her impulses.

"Save ya a seat,"Lilly waved. Miley watched Lilly go and turned red as she noticed she was watching her friend's butt.

_Sweet niblets, Miley get a hold of yourself! You keep actin like that you'll surely scare Lilly away!_ she mentally berated herself. Miley took a look at the poster and noticed a notepad on a schooldesk with a pen. Forms stating to tell your name and what talent you'd be performing, Miley was curious as to whether she should take Lilly's advice and sing and risk being discovered as Hannah, or maybe do something else. _Think about it, Stewart, this could be your chance to tell Lilly how you really feel_, her conscious argued with her.

"Yeah like _that'll_ happen!"she argued back. _Get a grip, Stewart and just tell the girl! Stop bein a chicken!_ "I'm not a chicken!"she snapped back.

"Stewart?"Miley jumped out of her skin as she heard Coach Henderson behind her. Her face brightened. "Who're you talking to?"

"N-no one, sir! Just signing up for the talent show!"she grinned, quickly grabbing a pen from her backpack and flashing it with a smile. Coach Henderson raised a bushy eyebrow and huffed.

"Just do yourself a favor Stewart, and dont go tryin to prove your strength... Dont wanna send you outta there on a gurney because you wanna prove you can lift a dunbell,"Coach Henderson scoffed before walking past her and into the Office. Miley stuck her tongue out at him as the door shut.

"Hmph, I'll show _you_ a dunbell, you overgrown jackass,"she growled and signed her name on a form and under talent she placed singing. She ripped off the form and slid it onto the Vice Principal's desk through the mail slot before turning on her heel and walking toward the cafeteria.

"Bud, its not that I dont support you wanting to show off a bit, but really, couldn't ya have just.. I dunno, put eat five hot dogs in a minute?"Robbie Ray asked, concerned after his daughter came home and mentioned signing up for the talent show.

"Daddy!"she smirked as Jackson came into the kitchen. "I wouldn't wanna take Jackson's title as human vaccum away!" Jackson glowered.

"Yeah, yeah, well, we'll see who's a vaccum tonight, Dad's makin sloppy joes!"Jackson rubbed his tummy and looked at the concoction that his father had on the stove, he tried to stick a finger in the sauce but was smacked on the hand with Robbie Ray's wooden spoon. He waved his hand and then huffed away with a water heading for Rico's.

"I just want ya to be sure what you're doin bud, like you said to Lilly and Oliver, you have a lotta classmates that love Hannah,"Robbie Ray said.

"Well maybe I can just.. I dunno, lower my voice or highten it? Make it sound a bit different? Nah,"Miley shrugged, and finished the last of her Geometry questions before shutting her book.

"If I may... why is this talent show so important Miles? I mean the last time you ever cared to show off at a talent show was..."they both locked eyes and silently agreed. The last time Miley had ever entered a competition to show off a talent of any sort, was when her mother was alive, her mother had died trying to get to see her and Miley had never forgiven herself, wishing that somehow she had just not signed up for the competition or had gotten ill and forfeited.

"I just... think its time that the school knew that behind this accent is a beautiful voice,"Miley sniffled, wiping the unshed tears. Robbie Ray nodded.

"Well darlin, I'll support ya a hundred percent,"he patted her back. "Ya know what you're plannin on singin?" Miley shook her head. She'd been so caught up in being annoyed at the gym coach that she'd forgotten about what song she wanted to sing. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, making her drop her line of thought as she answered.

"_Lilly landing in five!_"Miley snapped her phone shut and rushed to open the double paned doors. And as promised, five minutes later, Lilly skidded into their living area on her skateboard, her blonde hair askew under her helmet, her blue eyes sparkling with a sense of freedom the way they always did when she was on a skateboard.

"Hey Miles, hey Mr. S, ooooh, Sloppy Joes? Lilly like-y!"she unclipped her helmet and flipped her skateboard up under her arm before giving Miley a quick hug. Miley shivered slightly but thankfully Lilly didn't notice as she made her way over to Robbie Ray who was adding his special ingredients to the sauce.

"You're welcome to have some if ya'd like, Lilly, there's plenty!"Robbie Ray grinned. Lilly was the only girl that he ever knew that could pack away as much as his Uncle Earl in so little time, she almost put Jackson to shame when they had nacho night.

"Aw thanks, Mr. S, but I came over to see if Miley wanted to go to the beach?"she asked, turning to Miley who'd sat back down, trying to repress her urge to stare at her lovely best friend.

"Fine with me, we were just talkin bout what song Miles should sing for the talent show,"Robbie Ray smiled at Miley. Miley went bright red, she hadnt planned on telling Lilly, hoping that she could instead, surprise her.

"You signed up?! Oh thats soooo cool! I'm happy for you Miley!"Lilly hugged Miley again.

_Well if I'd known she'd have been THIS happy, I'd sing in school all the time!_ Miley smiled as she returned the hug, getting a brief whiff of Lilly's cherry smelling shampoo, and the scent that was distinctly Lilly Truscott. _If I could just bottle her up I'd wear her scent all the time,_Miley blushed as her conscious got away with thinking that, and went redder as she noticed Lilly glance at her curiously, her head tilted as she popped a cracker into her mouth.

"So, what ARE ya gonna sing, Miley?"Lilly asked.

"Not sure yet, I cant sing anything Hannah Montana because then it would be a dead giveaway,"Miley said. Robbie Ray nodded his full hearted approval before splashing a bit of chili pepper into the sauce.

"Hmm, well, there's always Christmas music, since it IS that time of year,"Lilly grinned. "Oh! Whats that one, uhm, I think Faith Hill does? Where Are You Christmas? Oooh I love that song!"Lilly jumped up and down hyper, Miley only giggled. Lilly was always so adorable, no matter what mood she was in, whether she was red from being angry, pouting because she was sad or wanting something, or all giddy and bouncing around like a child hooked up on a sugar high.

"Well remember, Miles, not everyone celebrates Christmas, you dont wanna offend any of them other classmates who dont celebrate,"Robbie Ray said.

"Pshaw! How could anyone get offended? I tell you, Mr. S., its mutiny how all these religions come in here and yet even though we have the freedom to practice our own, everyone gets offended when we do! My mom told me that in her day no one made a fuss if someone said Merry Christmas to them, she even had a Jewish boyfriend once that would buy her a small gift for the eight nights of Hannukah, my mom always said its perfectly fine to practice your own religion or even share your beliefs as long as you dont SHOVE them on others!"Lilly said, argumentive.

"I believe your mom has a point there, Lilly, although where we were in Tennessee, there werent a whole lotta anyone who didnt celebrate Christmas, so when we came out here it was a shock for all of us to see so many different people who got offended by just saying it, I just tell everyone Happy Holidays now,"Robbie Ray agreed.

"Either way, I'm sure I can sing SOMETHING that wont offend anyone and hopefully it'll be something that wont make people think I'm Hannah Montana,"Miley sighed.

"But you _are_ Hannah,"Lilly whispered. Miley gave her a playful shove and they headed off for the beach, Miley sat down on the edge of the newly built halfpipe near the shore and watched as Lilly flipped, did tricks and skated up and down it, smiling because this was her perfect excuse to watch her friend in action. A boombox down below was playing several different selections of music, some Christmas, some rock, some country, and a beautiful song by Taylor Swift had come on, she caught the lyrics:

"_My first thought as I wake up, is my God he's beautiful, as I put on my makeup and pray for a miracle..._"she remembered hearing the full song and couldnt help but compare those exact lyrics to how she felt for Lilly. Even her dreams couldn't let her escape the beautiful image of her best friend, taunting her and making her want her even more. She wakes up everyday and the first thing she sees is a black and white photo of her, Lilly and Oliver from the movie theatre that she'd had enlarged and framed to sit on her desk next to her mothers photo and the photo of herself, Jackson and their Dad. She would get herself ready for the day and think of what to wear in order to somehow unconsciously gain Lilly's approval despite that Lilly was a total tomboy and didn't care much for looks, Miley still felt the need to want to impress her, and that was also a reason why she'd even bothered signing up for the talent show.

"Hey Miley, hold out your hand!"Lilly called as she skated up the pipe across from her, Miley laughed and stuck out her hand knowingly as Lilly gained speed and momentum, the wheels whirring beneath her as she flipped up the ramp, over Miley's head, who flinched a little in uneasiness and then slapped Miley's hand in a high five before her board took her back down. Lilly gave a loud cheer for herself, before skating up and then back down and then finally landing to sit beside Miley on the halfpipe. "Penny for your thoughts?"she asked Miley and handed her a penny, Miley smiled and took it, Lilly was all into good luck charms, in fact it had been Lilly's lucky bracelet that caused Miley's secret to leak to her friend when Lilly had managed to sneak into Hannah's dressing room between the show.

"Hey Lilly, you're gonna be at the show friday, right?"Miley asked.

"Of course! I cant wait! I am a little worried for Oliver though, I doubt anyone wants to see him juggle pears,"Lilly rolled his eyes and nudged Miley's arm with her own and they laughed.

_Gosh her laugh is adorable,_ Miley thought silently.

"Why didn't you tell me you'd signed up?"Lilly asked. Miley felt her heartbeat pick up out of fear of telling Lilly she'd wanted to surprise her and from having never told Lilly the story of her mother.

"Well I hadn't planned to...I dont really do talent shows, not since-"Miley's throat seemed to tighten and she felt her eyes sting with unshed tears at the thought of that night. A warm arm encircled her waist in a side hug and she felt her throat constrict. "Not since my mom died.."Lilly stayed silent, she knew that Miley's mother was a topic that wasn't easy for any of the Stewarts to talk about, she'd even tried asking Jackson once, hoping he'd be able to tell her what had happened but Lilly had gotten a shock when Jackson's eyes watered at the mention of their late mother and he excused himself.

"When I was seven, my school held a dance competition,"she sniffled and tried to contain herself in front of Lilly, who merely squeezed and didn't release, a silent gesture of comfort. "My Dad and Jackson were already in the audience, I could see them, but my mom wasn't able to make it because she was sick... well, when I went on and did my number, my Dad had been videotaping so I made sure to try and keep my eyes on him, but then I saw my Principal cut through and talk to him and when the whole thing was over I found my Dad and he...he-"tears slipped down her cheeks, remembering that night.

"Miley, you dont have to-"

"No... I'm okay,"she sniffled, wiping her face with the sleeve of her shirt. "My dad knelt down and scooped me into his arms, Jackson was crying and I felt my dad cry too and I asked him what was wrong and he told me that my mother had tried to come see me, and see, she had the flu, she was all feverish, so she wasn't exactly able to maintain control of the wheel, she slipped on a patch of black ice and the car slid off road and crashed into a dead tree that in turn... fell and crushed my moms car," she was openly crying now, she could hardly tell what was happening around her but she didnt care. She felt Lilly's other arm pull her in and hold her tight, Miley buried her face in her friend's sweet-smelling neck and felt Lilly's hand rub her back soothingly while the other hand ran through her curly hair.

"I dont know what to say, I cant say I know how you feel, 'cause that would be lying,"Lilly whispered soothingly into Miley's ear. Miley shuddered but then sniffled and hoped that Lilly would think it was a sob. "But I'm here for you, you're dad's here, your brother too, and Oliver, and we all love and support you and I know that no matter if you wanna get up on that stage and belt your southern little heart out on Friday night,"they both giggled. Miley's came out cracked as tears continued to slide down her face. "But I'm gonna be here, no matter what, there's nothing you could say or do that'll make me leave you, and thats a promise."

"You cant promise that, Lilly,"Miley hiccupped. "My mom is gone, dead before her rightful time, we never know when our time will be up." She lifted her head and saw Lilly staring back at her in all seriousness.

"Thats why you gotta live it like its your last, Miles, dont look back at the past, but dont forget all the ones who loved you then, and look to the future, forget regret, remember who loves you now,"Lilly spoke.

"When did you become a novelman?"Miley smirked. Lilly laughed and brushed Miley's tears with her thumb, Miley shuddered again and shut her eyes, she felt Lilly's hand pause and cup her cheek. Miley's eyes opened wide and stared back at Lilly, fearful that she'd just given away her secret. Silence and tension so thick you could cut it like a knife, Miley swore she could feel Lilly inching closer until the half pipe suddenly thumped and they noticed a group of small boys roughhousing beneath the pipe, one who'd been shoved against the back of it, causing the movement.

"We'd better get home, I'm sure if you dont, Jackson'll suck down them sloppy joes, and my moms probably worried where I'm at,"Lilly said. Miley nodded as Lilly stood and offered her hand. Miley felt the tingle in her hand as she took it and stood, they walked down the steps carefully as the boys were still going at it and they went their seperate ways toward their seperate houses.

-x-x-x-

Friday came quickly, it was nearly impossible to hear your own thoughts as the entire school was buzzing with excitement for the long awaited holiday and a few others were even more upbeat about the talent show coming up tonight. Lilly had bought her ticket, Miley and Oliver got in free because they'd be performing, and Miley bought a ticket for her Dad, Jackson having to work doubletime because Rico would be performing a talent as well. Miley had discovered exactly what song to sing and had bought the kareoke tape to practice for it all week, hoping that she would be able to somehow use this song to tell Lilly exactly what she felt and not give it away or her secret to the entire school body. Nerves were wracking her up as she sat behind the theatre stage where everyone was practicing, Oliver was in the corner watching Dandruff Danny spit fire, Amber and Ashley were practicing dance moves to Shakira, Sarah was measuring out water in the crystal lined glasses and testing their sound. Miley took a peek beneath the curtain and saw that the crowd was gathering, she spotted her father immediately, camera in hand, and saw Lilly sit next to him, memories flooded her mind and she tried very hard not to tear up in front of everyone in hopes that nothing would go wrong tonight.

_Momma, wherever you are, if you can hear me, please give me strength to do this right, _Miley thought silently. She shut her eyes and hoped that her mother could hear her when Oliver's whine startled her. She noticed Oliver arguing with another boy from their class,

"Those pears werent for EATING!" Miley giggled as she noticed Oliver now only had three pears instead of four. The boy looked thoroughly embarrassed and walked away as Oliver continued his rant, cradling his pears protectively.

"Children, gather round!"Miss Henseley came through the curtain. "Listen up, I'm going to call each of you on stage, in alphabetical order, so try and keep an ear out when your names are being called so we dont wait for you to appear on stage, any props that you have, Danny cut that out this minute!"Miss Hensley shrieked as Danny nearly caught Amber's hair on fire. Miley bit back a smile.

"As I was saying, you will set up your own props right before the act before you walks off stage so BE ready! Mr. Addison, you're up first,"Miley noticed the boy who'd eaten Oliver's pear walk up, beads of sweat were forming on his dark forehead, he was shaking like a leaf and Miley, despite being an international popstar, was somewhat relieved not to have been picked first.

Student after student commensed, showing off their talents and getting an uproarious applause, Amber and Ashley succeeded in getting the loudest from the student body due to them being the most popular girls in the tenth grade, however, Miley was certain she heard a few dare to boo the troublesome duo.

"Next up is our very own southern sophomore, Miss Miley Stewart, here to sing you all a very Happy Holidays!" Miley felt her nerves begin to turn into excitement, trying to imagine she was performing as Hannah, she walked out and waved to everyone but felt a bit shy when hardly anyone waved back, she heard Amber and Ashley snickering as they watched. Turning she noticed Oliver give her a thumbs up, she smiled and then heard the music turn on, glancing out, she saw her Dad and Lilly smiling brightly, camera aimed her way, Lilly's eyes shining brightly as she recognized the tune. Miley locked eyes and did not look away as she began to sing,

_I don't want a lot for Christmas  
There's just one thing I need  
I don't care about the presents  
Underneath the Christmas tree  
I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
All I want for Christmas is...  
You_

I don't want a lot for Christmas  
There's just one thing I need  
I don't care about the presents  
Underneath the Christmas tree  
I don't need to hang my stocking  
There upon the fireplace  
Santa Claus won't make me happy  
With a toy on Christmas day  
I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
All I want for Christmas is you  
You baby

I won't ask for much this Christmas  
I don't even wish for snow  
I'm just gonna keep on waiting  
Underneath the mistletoe  
I won't make a list and send it  
To the North Pole for Saint Nick  
I won't even stay awake to  
Hear those magic reindeers click  
'Cause I just want you here tonight  
Holding on to me so tight  
What more can I do  
Baby all I want for Christmas is you  
Ooh baby   
All the lights are shining  
So brightly everywhere  
And the sound of children's  
Laughter fills the air  
And everyone is singing  
I hear those sleigh bells ringing  
Santa won't you bring me the one I really need  
Won't you please bring my baby to me...

Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas  
This is all I'm asking for  
I just want to see my baby  
Standing right outside my door  
Oh I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
Baby all I want for Christmas is...  
You

All I want for Christmas is you... baby 

As she finished the lyrics she noticed Lilly's eyes brim with tears and understanding and... something else, something Miley was unable to tell as the loud applause caight her ears and she smiled as she saw her Dad stand up and hoot her name, getting the entire audience riled up. She turned and saw Amber and Ashley's mouths agape, their jaws near the floor. _Never woulda guessed I was better than you at something, would ya?_ She smirked inwardly and heard the audience quiet down,

"Thats our very own Miss Miley Stewart, give her a hand, folks!"Miss Hensley patted Miley on the back and Miley walked off stage, not before turning and noticing that Lilly had fled her seat, she looked to her Dad who noticed and shrugged. _Maybe she'd had to go to the bathroom_, Miley prayed silently that somehow Lilly wouldn't have been offended by her song, and in another way, hoped that she would have taken it as its meaning was. Miley didnt care about any gifts, all she wanted was for Lilly to love her.

"Miley! That was SOOO awesome!"Oliver goaded and she had several others patting her shoulder and complimenting her voice.

"You could put Hannah Montana to shame!"Sarah smiled. _If only you knew, _Miley thought with a grin.

"I doubt that, but thanks Sarah,"she looked over and saw Amber and Ashley glower at her, so far so good, no one had yet mentioned any likeliness between her and her rockstar counterpart. Oliver became like a big brother of sorts and shooed everyone away, winking at her good naturedly, she smiled and thanked him for being there. When the last act was coming to a close, Miley heard a rustle from the curtains, she turned and noticed Lilly crawling under them and then standing,

"Lilly! What're you doing here?!"Miley whispered a bit harsher than she intended. Lilly gave her a small smile and a shrug before her face took on a more serious look,

"Miley, that was awesome out there, I dont think that anyone suspected you,"she said in a low whisper, noticing Amber and Ashley were still only a few feet away. Miley smiled. "Listen, Miley there's something I've been wanting to tell you.. that song you ju-" Just then Miss Hensley came backstage and Lilly had to duck behind a wooden crate.

"Alright children, the tallies are in, and we're all going out there and I'll announce the winners, everyone will, of course get a small something for just having the guts to go through with this, and since its the holidays, but lets get you out there, one moment,"she walked back out. Miley felt her sleeve tug and then she was yanked beneath the crate with Lilly.

"Lilly, what-"

"Miley, I love you,"Lilly whispered, her eyes beginning to shine with tears. "I've loved you since I met you and I just- I didn't want to hide that from you anymore, your song tonight made me realize that if I dont tell you now then I probably never will and then some guy'll come along and I'll never get my chance."

"Lilly, I-"

"Miley, please, I dont want to ruin what we have, so this is just it, we can still stay friends, I just needed to get that out there, and if you're completely disgusted with me I'll understand,"Lilly's voice cracked at the thought of losing Miley because she couldn't control her heart anymore.

"Lilly-"

"Everyone!"Miss Hensley's voice interrupted her this time. Miley glowered. "Lets go, where's Stewart?" Miley stood up abruptly with a smile. "Ah, come along." Miley shot Lilly a warning glance to stay there and then headed onto the stage with everyone else, she took her seat between Oliver and Sarah. The lights were shining right in her eyes, making it hard to see the audience so she kept her head down.

"Dont worry, Stewart, you'll still get _something_ for your pathetic talent,"Amber snarled under her breath.

"And you suddenly care?"Miley retorted, coolly. Amber huffed and turned her attention back to the audience.

"Ladies and gentelmen, your votes have been counted and the tallies set, now, seeing as we only had enough budget to get three trophies, we'll be awarding them to the top three scores, but no one goes away empty handed, and the rest of our talented students will walk away with a $40 gift card to the mall,"all the students perked up at this and Miley noticed a few in the audience groan and she bet her own lifes savings they'd wished they would have signed up now.

"And, the third place winner of tonights talent competition is...Miss Sarah Finley"[**A/N: Sarah's last name is nowhere on the show so I made one up!!! if there is anyone who can tell me if her name IS mentioned, then feel free to correct me**. Sarah stood and smiled, walking gratefully up to accept her trophy, she waved to the audience and bowed before returning to her seat.

"The next trophy will be split between our two contestants... Miss Amber Wesley and Miss Ashley Dewitt,"Amber and Ashley looked horrified that they had just been announced second place and Miley bit back a laugh, she leaned across Sarah toward Amber and whispered.

"Look, Amber, you got _something_ for your troubles,"Miley smirked and Sarah giggled as Amber grit her teeth and walked alongside Ashley to accept the trophy which they yanked between them all the way back as they stormed to their seats.

"Not a word, Stewart,"Amber growled and Miley shared grins with Oliver and Sarah.

"And tonights winner and first place champion of the Talent Competition is... Miss Miley Stewart!"A large sound of applause startled Miley behind her name as she stared at Miss Hensley who stood holding her trophy, staring back expectantly. Oliver gave her a good shove up out of her seat and she stumbled to accept the award, giving a shaky smile. She'd won. She turned to see her Dad and she noticed him wiping his eyes giving her a thumbs up as she walked back to her seat. "The students are now released to their parents,"everyone got up and Miley walked backstage sandwhiched between Oliver and Sarah protectively from Amber and Ashley, who looked ready to pounce on Miley for her trophy.

"MILEY!"Lilly engulfed her in a large hug as they walked out the doors and Miley laughed, wrapping her arms around Lilly's waist and holding her to her, breathing her in, now that she knew Lilly's feelings, she wasn't about to let her best friend just walk away without hearing her side of the story.

"Stay with me tonight,"Miley whispered. Lilly shivered,

"Miley-"

"Please.."Miley begged as she released Lilly. Lilly looked doubtful but nodded and Miley smiled, she then grasped Lilly's hand and entwined their fingers, startling Lilly for a moment before Lilly squeezed back gently, giving Miley a beautiful smile as they headed for Robbie Ray's car.

"Hey kiddo!"Robbie Ray hugged his daughter tight and a small tingle of fear went through her as she remembered this same circumstance from her mothers death. "You did great tonight, I'm sure you'll get tired of hearin this but I'm real proud of ya, bud." Miley smiled,

"Never, dad." She and Lilly crawled in the back and Miley did not relinquish her hold on Lilly's hand. Lilly called ahead to her mother and told her she was staying at Miley's, and only when Robbie Ray dropped her off did Miley let her hand go while Lilly ran up to gather her pajamas and a change of clothes. Once she was settled back in the car, Miley took her hand again, this time Lilly just accepted it without complaint.

They got home and ran upstairs, bidding Robbie Ray goodnight and when Miley shut the door, she felt her nerves hit her once more. She turned and before she could open her mouth to speak, her lips were attacked by the softest, sweetest pair that Miley'd ever tasted. Lilly kissed her, softly, passionately, Miley moaned as Lilly's tongue gently swiped her bottom lip and Miley granted her access, allowing Lilly's tongue to probe her mouth and duel with her own, she tasted faintly of chocolate and peppermint. When the need for oxygen became great, they seperated and Lilly took a few steps back to try and recollect herself, Miley instantly felt the loss and shivered as her body felt cold from Lilly's warm soft body.

"I-I-"Lilly stuttered. Miley opened her eyes and stared as Lilly looked at her fearfully, Miley rose an eyebrow quizzically before remembering she'd never said anything to her.

"Lilly-"

"No, Miley, I had to, just like I had to tell you I was in love with you, I just needed to feel your kiss, just once, I swear I'll never do-"Miley only knew one way to shut up her rambling friend, and she took it, by striding upto Lilly, wrapping one hand around her neck and the other on her waist and crushing their lips together in a firery kiss that took their breath away, Miley backed Lilly upto the bed where they both promtly fell, Lilly beneath her, moaning as their bodies came in full contact with each other. Miley faintly noticed how she and Lilly seemed to fit together perfectly, like two pieces of a puzzle, her mom always said. Breaking away, she looked at Lilly's face unguarded, Lilly's eyes were closed, her lips slightly parted as she seemed to be engraving this moment in her mind.

"Lilly,"Miley whispered, brushing her fingers across her forehead to gently remove the blonde flyaway bangs. Lilly opened her eyes,"I love you back." Lilly's eyes widened which only caused Miley to smile wider. "I have for a long time, and I want you to know that nothing you say or do could cause me to ever stop loving you, you stole my heart and its yours to keep, I just ask that you dont break it."

"Never... I love you so much, Miley, I cant believe you're really telling me you love me, too,"Lilly choked, her smile broadening.

"I do,"Miley smiled, then something caught her eye, out the window, something shining. She stood and grabbed Lilly's hand and they walked out onto her balcony and stared up at the night sky where Miley noticed the star that she and her mom used to watch was out, shining like a bright beacon in the night.

"Wow, thats beautiful!"Lilly said in awe. Miley smiled at Lilly and turned her to face her.

"Yes, it is, I love you Lillian Truscott, now and forever, thank you for making my Christmas wish come true,"Miley smiled. Lilly smiled back and brushed her nose against Miley's,

"I love you, too, Miley Stewart, Merry Christmas,"she sealed the deal with a soft kiss.


End file.
